Darwin's sinewy elegance

What will follow from this singular occurrence [the ability of organisms to self-replicate], anywhere in the universe, is Darwinian selection and hence the baroque extravaganza that, on this planet, we call life. Never were so many facts explained by so few assumptions. Not only does the Darwinian theory command superabundant power to explain. Its economy in doing so has a sinewy elegance, a poetic beauty that outclasses even the most haunting of the world's origin myths. One of my purposes in writing this book has been to accord due recognition to the inspirational quality of our modern understanding of Darwinian life. There is more poetry in Mitochondrial Eve than in her mythological namesake [xi-xii].

Dawkins, Richard. River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life. Basic Books, 1995. ISBN 0465069908.

posted for Amy